American whiskey

Copper & Kings has been doing some pretty cool stuff since their debut in the spring of 2014. Slow and low distillation on copper stills and sonic aging in the basement along with the fact that they’re making brandy in Kentucky bourbon country are some of ways this distillery has made itself unique. This series of matured American brandy aged in American craft beer barrels is no exception.

I was lucky enough to taste through the series on a recent tour with owner Joe Heron. Each of the CR&FTWERK offerings spent 12 months in the barrels and finishes at 111 proof. Copper & Kings created four variants using barrels from Against the Grain’s Mac Fanny Baw, 3 Floyds Dark Lord, Osakar Blues G’Knight & Deviant Dale’s, and Sierra Nevada’s Smoked Imperial Porter. Like one of the bands blaring in the barrel house, the brandy, the beer and the whiskey all play a part in the final product.

Tonight’s launch of CR&FTWERK will be hosted at Against the Grain in Louisville and the products released into the market in March. If you can’t wait, and you shouldn’t, buy it now at the distillery.

I see and do some pretty cool stuff with some pretty cool people. Friends believe me to “drink whiskey for a living,” according to a recent comment on Facebook. The truth is that I’m not yet making a living by my brown water habit but weeks like this past one sure do lead me to believe that I’m heading in the right direction. Spending time and sharing a sip with some of Tennessee & Kentucky’s finest whiskey minds is an honor I don’t take for granted.

As you may have heard, John Lunn, Site Director Southern Hub and Master Distiller, will be leaving Diageo and has accepted an exciting opportunity outside the company. His last day will be March 13th.

While I am extremely sorry to lose John, I am happy for him as he moves on to his next endeavor. He has been a great asset to us at George Dickel and Stitzel-Weller and a good friend to many of us.

I appreciate his many contributions over the last 11 years, especially the delivery of the bottling line, new pallet warehouse and barrel program at George Dickel and, more recently, the new bottling line at Stitzel-Weller.

We are finalizing interim leadership plans for the Southern Hub and will announce them in the next couple of weeks.

We have already begun the process of finding a replacement for John and this will be subject of a future announcement.

In the meantime, I have full confidence in the ability of the existing teams at both George Dickel and Stitzel-Weller during this transition.